Stoking the Flames

The Flames were happy with their results last season, but certainly not content to sit on their hands this summer. Here is a recap of the moves made in Calgary to fan the Flames for the 2017-18 season.

Burnt out: The players who won’t be returning to play in Calgary are numerous. This isn’t the result of a knee-jerk reaction or attempt to correct course, but more a product of what happens when rebuilding a team: some players turn out, some don’t, and others come along much faster than expected.

Calgary let nine players walk into free agency, including veteran defensemen Michael Kostka, Ladislav Smid, Dennis Wideman, 30-year-old left wing Brandon Bollig, and goalie Brian Elliott.

Goalie Chad Johnson was traded to the Coyotes, veteran defender Deryk Engelland was scooped up by Vegas in the Expansion Draft, and the Flames bought out 27-year-old forward Lance Bouma.

Fuel for the fire:  The flames certainly weren’t idle this offseason, making several big moves soon after their playoff exit.

Hopefully, Calgary has their first legitimate starting goalie since Miikka Kiprusoff in the form of former Arizona Coyotes netminder Mike Smith. Smith was acquired in the trade that sent Chad Johnson to the desert along with prospective defenseman Brandon Hickey and a conditional third-round pick. Smith is an 11-season NHL veteran who went 19-26-9  last season in Arizona, with a 2.92 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 55 games.

Calgary’s blueline got even better with the addition of Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders, in exchange for a handful of draft picks. They also picked up prospect defenseman Ryan Murphy and backup goalie Eddie Lack from the Carolina Hurricanes, in exchange for Keegan Kanzig and more draft picks. 

Hamonic adds a versatile and responsible top-four defenseman, and Lack should be able to provide relief for Smith while washing away the sour taste of last season’s goaltender tandem completely.

Fanning the Flames: It’s been said before and it has to be said again, Calgary quietly has one of the best defensive groups in the NHL, and with the addition of Hamonic, they look to have only gotten better. 

Calgary’s top defensive pairings will likely be Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Hamonic, Michael Stone and Brett Kulak. It’s hard to complain about that.

With a proven starter in Mike Smith between the pipes, Calgary may have addressed their biggest problems from last season in those early offseason trades.

Still, it’s possible the First Line and Other-First Line combo of Gaudreau, Monahan, Ferland, and Tkachuk, Backlund, Frolik can’t reproduce the magic they had last season, but that seems unlikely. All in all, the Flames look to have brought in new help for their trouble areas while relying on their homegrown talent to continue to improve.

GM Brad Treliving also resigned notable players such as Micheal Ferland (2-years), Curtis Lazar (2-years), and Brett Kulak (1-year), along with bringing in free agent rookie Spencer Foo (2-years).

On paper, Calgary as addressed their biggest needs from last season, as well as getting younger and adding some depth up and down the lineup. Things are looking bright for the 2017-18 season in Calgary.